Pushed to the Limit
by supertasticgirl
Summary: Certain people in Vegas find themselves reaching their breaking point. Purejoy
1. Reality Check

Summary: The gossip mill drags out the inevitable, and brings Catherine to realize her true feelings for Grissom. Catherine tries to deal with them while also handling her increasingly rebellious daughter.

Rating: K

Warnings: Purejoyyyyy (of course). Brass/Sofia and Greg/OC mentioned.

**Reality Check**

Catherine and Wendy had gone out to breakfast together at a small, local diner one morning after shift. They made small talk, gossiped about how ridiculous David Hodges was, the not-so-secret crush that Jim Brass had for Sofia Curtis, and Greg's new, mysterious phone-sex buddy.

"I mean, it was so gross. I walk into the locker room and he's on the phone with her!" Wendy said, sipping her iced tea out of her thermos.

Catherine laughed. "I bet you couldn't get out of there fast enough."

"You know who else has been bringing their relationships into the lab?" Wendy asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's unbelievable, Catherine. Grissom and Sara. He kissed her cheek right in his office!"

Catherine sighed. "Yeah, I know. That's all anyone's been talking about. Can we not go there? I'd like to keep my meal down."

"Well, the weird thing is that we all thought, if anyone, Grissom would be with you." Wendy went on. "I thought you guys were close and would wind up together."

"Yeah," Catherine said again, her voice so low that she could barely hear herself. Wendy scooped a forkful of salad to her mouth, not noticing Catherine talking to herself. "Me too."

Catherine drove straight home after breakfast with Wendy. Somehow, even after changing the subject of Sara and Grissom, she began to feel extremely depressed. She decided that once she got home she would take a hot shower and go to bed.

She was shocked, however, when she entered her house and her teenage daughter was sitting on the couch watching TV and flipping through a magazine.

"Lindsey, what are you doing home? You have school today." Catherine said, setting her things down in the kitchen.

"Oh, well, I wasn't feeling good. I thought I'd just stay here."

Catherine gave Lindsey a look.

"Okay, okay, I missed the bus." Lindsey added. "But you can take my temperature. I already did. I'm at 100 degrees."

At this point, Catherine was too tired to get into an argument. "Fine, but you're going to school tomorrow, Lindsey. I don't care if you have a 150 degree temperature and your arm is falling off. This is the second day this week you've missed school."

As she made her way up the stairs, Catherine couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt settle in her stomach. She knew that with teenage years came rebellion and overworked drama, but somehow Lindsey knew how to press the right buttons to make Catherine feel like a mediocre mother.

She immediately stopped halfway up the stairs. "Linds?" she called, hearing the TV being turned down a little.

"Yeah?"

Catherine smiled tiredly and looked down at her daughter. "I love you."

"I know…" Lindsey sighed. Catherine gave a satisfied nod and continued upstairs. "Mom?" Catherine stopped again. "I love you, too."


	2. Denial

Catherine lay in bed, a slender arm draped over her eyes. She had been tossing and turning, trying to find a comfortable position, and the moment she had she realized she still couldn't sleep. The gears in her mind were still spinning away furiously.

_Why do I even care?_ She wondered to herself when she found herself thinking about Grissom and Sara. _It's not like I didn't see this coming. And it's not like I have a right to get territorial. If I wanted to get involved with Gil I should have done something myself._

But there was another voice in her head fighting the first one. _Pleeeease. Of course you want him. You've only been friends for the longest time. That feeling in your gut you have right now that's telling you to go to Sara and rip her face off? It's because you want Gil but you're too much of a coward to do anything._

_Oh no,_ Catherine argued silently to herself._ I'm not a coward. I would definitely rip Sara's face off._

_And you can't even tell your best friend of twenty years that you love him. Even admitting that you like him more than just a friend would be something._

Not liking where the little voices in her mind were leading her, Catherine sat up and switched on the TV in her room and the news until her eyes finally drooped shut and she fell asleep.

"You look terrible."

Catherine looked across the kitchen counter at Lindsey, who was eating a bowl of cereal.

"Thanks." Catherine replied sarcastically, looking through her purse for her car keys. "You going to eat something else for dinner? I'll order you a pizza if you like."

"No, I'm good." Lindsey protested. "I wanna lose three pounds anyway."

"Lindsey!" Catherine exclaimed. "Going anorexic is not the way to lose weight! Besides, you look fine."

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "I'm not anorexic, Mom. Look. I'm eating cereal."

Catherine finally found her keys at the bottom of her purse and walked around the counter to kiss her daughter on the forehead. "Whatever. But tomorrow night I'm making a pot roast for dinner and you'll eat it."

Lindsey smirked as her mother left the house and drove off.


	3. Face to Face

Catherine was still in a mildly put-out mood when she arrived to the crime lab that night, so she decided to hide in her office until assignments were being handed out. But whoever was currently knocking on her door obviously had other plans for her.

"Go away," Catherine muttered, sitting at her desk with her head resting on it. She hoped that with the lights off, the person would think she wasn't in. But the persistency of the knocking told her that they knew.

"What?" she called out louder, unable to keep the irritability out of her voice. "I'm kind of busy."

"No you're not," replied the voice. It was Grissom.

"Oh God…" Catherine murmured, flipping the desk lamp on. Hesitantly, she added, "Come in."

Gil Grissom soon opened the door and took a seat across from Catherine. He set a slip of paper on her desk. "Here, this is our assignment."

"Our?" Catherine repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. You and I have a suspicious circs downtown. Ready to go?" Grissom asked.

"Wait… What about you and Sara?"

"What about Sara and me? I assume you've heard the rumors. They're true, by the way." Grissom said.

"Well, why aren't you pairing yourself up with her?" Catherine asked. "Trouble in paradise?"

Grissom glared at her. "She and I have been on cases a lot lately, and I just thought that you and I should work on one. I mean, we are best friends."

Catherine's heart sank. "Yeah." She said softly. She sat up a little straighter and pushed the assignment slip back towards Grissom. "Well, what's Warrick's case? Maybe I'll pair up with him."

Quickly, Catherine stood up. "Yeah, I think I'm going to do that. See you later." Abruptly, she marched towards the door.

Grissom wasn't sure what was going on, but he grabbed her arm and held it tight. "Catherine. Wait." He waited until her eyes locked with his. "What's going on with you?"

Catherine sighed, her eyes traveling to the ground. "Nothing. It's nothing, Gil." But as Grissom continued to look at her unconvinced, she went on. "Okay, look." For a split second, Catherine Willows actually considered telling Grissom the truth and admitting her love for him. But as soon as she opened her mouth, she chickened out. "Lindsey and I are just going through some hard times. She's so rebellious and angry all the time. I'm feeling a little paranoid. It's like she wants me to feel like a bad mother."

_Well, I sort of told the truth, _Catherine told herself. _That's part of it._

Grissom put a hand on her arm. "Catherine, I'm sorry. But Lindsey's a good girl. You're a terrific mother and I'm sure she'll get out of this phase quickly."

Catherine smiled weakly. "Yeah. Thanks."

When shift had finally ended, Catherine was beyond relieved. While driving home, she looked back on her day. The entire time, Catherine couldn't get Grissom out of her mind. It didn't help at all that he was with her at almost all times. The slightest touch sent tingles rushing through her body.

The house was empty when she got home, and Catherine was thankful. Not feeling at all tired, she got out a wine glass, filled it, and made her way upstairs.

"You're pathetic, Catherine Willows," she spoke aloud to herself, downing half the glass in a single gulp.

She changed her clothes into a baggy t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants then returned downstairs and made a sandwich. The sandwich was accompanied by three more glasses of wine, and then Catherine went to bed.

Catherine Willows and Sara Sidle sat in the break room, delicately sipping their first cups of coffee of the new shift. Catherine couldn't help but be annoyed by the huge grin on Sara's face. Eventually, she caved and had to ask. "Sara, what's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

Catherine rolled her eyes. "It's the beginning of shift and you have this ginormous smile on your face. It's not normal."

The smile got bigger. "Oh, well, Grissom's taking me out to dinner tonight and, I don't know, I guess I'm just excited."

Just then, Nick walked into the room. He immediately felt the tension emitting from Catherine and he caught the nasty glare that was sent to Sara which went by un-noticed.

"Hey Cath?"

Catherine glanced at him. "Hey."

"Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Catherine got up and nodded. Once she stepped out into the hall, she murmured, "Thank god you came. I thought I was going to have to hurt her."

"Yeah, I noticed the death looks and all." Nick commented.

"So, Nicky, what did you need? Surely not just to let me know my death glare was working. I'm well aware."

Nick grinned. "Of course not. You and I have a body at a local diner off the strip. Ready?"

"Always." Catherine answered. "Let me grab my stuff and I'll meet you at the car."


	4. Confessions

**Confessions**

Nick had offered to drive, observing that Catherine still seemed to be a little edgy. And though he had never experienced it, he wasn't sure he wanted to see what Catherine Willow's road rage was like when she was driving while pissed.

"So," Nick began, breaking the silence. He could barely stand it for the five minutes. Car rides with Catherine were usually more exciting, which is why he looked forward to them. "What's on your mind, Catherine?"

Catherine stared out the window quietly. When she heard Nick's voice she turned her head to him. "Sorry, what?"

"You seem kind of out of it lately."

"What do you think of the whole Grissom and Sara thing?" Catherine abruptly asked. "I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I don't think that they're really meant for each other. You know?"

Nick glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"It just seems like he should be with someone else." Catherine went on, her eyebrows knitting together.

"And who would that someone else be?" Nick asked.

"Oh… Hell, Nick, I don't know."

"Sure you do." A smirk spread over his face. "You're jealous of Sara."

Catherine hesitated, then sighed. "Tell anyone and I'll deny it… Then hide your body where no one will ever find it."

She looked at Nick, who met her with a grin.

"You never answered my question," Catherine said. "What's your view of all this?"

Nick shrugged. "Well, I've been talking to Wendy about it, too, and we've both come to agree that it's pretty… awkward, I guess, to have around the lab."

"You and Wendy have been hanging out a lot lately." Catherine commented. "Is there a little something-something between you two, too? Because that's a relationship I wouldn't mind having around."

"Really?" Nick asked.

She nodded. "Of course. You two would be so cute together. And it's not like anyone can deny the sparks that fly between you guys."

"Kinda like the sparks everyone thought they saw between you and Gris," Nick said.

Catherine frowned. Yeah, she had felt those sparks, too. When they talked. When they touched. When they got together after shift to have breakfast at his penthouse. They rarely did any of that anymore.

"So, how's Lindsey?" Nick asked, noting the look on Catherine's face. He didn't have to guess twice to know what she was thinking about.

Thanks to Nick, Catherine finally rid her mind of Grissom, and she found herself able to work productively at the scene that day. When it was all over, she prayed to God that she'd be able to do it again.


	5. Trouble in Paradise

A couple of weeks had passed since Grissom and Sara's relationship had come to light. Things had definitely changed around the workplace. The family-type feeling that the team had for each other seemed to evaporate.

Even the atmosphere while doing paperwork together in the same room was awkward, as a team member would occasionally glance up and notice Grissom and Sara exchange smiles or a brush of the hand.

Catherine coped with the situation internally, refusing to let others see how badly it was affecting her. She avoided talking to Grissom or Sara unless it was strictly work related, and spent more time with the other CSIs and lab techs. It was becoming easier to get Grissom off her mind as she was trying to get to sleep after work. But she still couldn't look at the two without that sinking feeling in her stomach.

There were only a few minutes of shift left that night, and Catherine was wrapping up some paperwork in her office when Warrick popped his head in.

"Hey, Catherine," he said.

She looked up. "Oh, hey War. What's up?"

"Nick, Greg and I were going to go grab a bite to eat. I wanted to see if you were interested in coming with us."

"Oh, well-"

She was cut off as the spiky haired DNA tech-turned-CSI squeezed through the doorway next to Warrick. "Hi guys!" Greg grinned. "Grissom gave the okay and said we could all get off shift early. We ready to get some food? I'm starving."

Warrick turned to Catherine and looked at her expectantly for an answer.

"Sure." Catherine replied, gathering all her papers together and slipping them into the folder. "I'll meet you guys by the car."

Catherine locked her office door shut and began walking down the hall towards the main entrance when she heard fast footsteps behind her.

"Cath- wait up!"

She stopped and turned around. It was Sara.

"Sara. Hi."

"I heard you guys were going out to breakfast. Think you can squeeze in one more?" Sara asked, slightly out of breath.

_**One**__ more? Where's Grissom?_ Catherine thought. She decided it was probably better if he wasn't coming anyway, since she was getting so good with getting rid of her Lack-of-Gil-Anxiety.

"Uh.. Yeah, you can come. Let's go, the guys are waiting for us." Catherine finally said.

"Thanks." Sara grinned, taking off down the hall.

Catherine hesitated before following, scanning the doorways for any sign of Grissom. She saw the light on through the window blinds in his office and her eyebrow automatically arched. Then without a second though, she swerved and headed out.

"Yeah, I know, baby. I'm taking the day off tomorrow, so I'll see you, and maybe then we can continue our little..."

Catherine walked around the Denali to find Greg leaning on it, his cell phone pressed to his ear. "Greg?" she said, snapping him out of his conversation.

He looked up. "Oh, hi, Cath." Quickly, he turned his attention back to his call. "Look, baby, I gotta go. I'll see you soon. I love you. No, I love you more. No, I-"

"Greg!" Catherine barked, giving him a glare.

"I-love-you-more-see-you-tomorrow-bye." Greg hung up.

"Hell," Catherine sighed, shaking her head. "Where are Warrick, Nick, and Sara?"

"Sara's coming?"

"Yeah. Last minute thing."

"Well, Warrick and Nick disappeared into the locker room as I was heading out. They said they'd meet us here right away and-"

"Hey, sorry for the hold up!" Warrick called, walking out the crime lab entrance with Nick on his heels. Sara was with them.

"Hodges managed to tip over and break our coffee pot." Nick grumbled.

"We had to help clean up." Sara explained.

"And ream him a new one," Nick added.

Catherine and Greg nodded, and they began to pile into the Denali. Warrick drove, Catherine sat in shotgun, and Nick, Sara, and Greg squeezed together in the back.

"So, where's Gris, Sara?" Greg asked after they had been driving for awhile. He needed to take his mind off his empty stomach.

"Oh, he had a lot of paperwork to finish up with," Sara replied flippantly. "He would have come if he could."

Warrick glanced at the rear-view mirror at Nick. The look said, _they usually stay late together doing that stuff. Something must be going on._

"Huh," Nick said. "I asked Grissom if I could help out, and he told me that there wasn't anything to help out with."

Sara shrugged. "Well, you know how Grissom likes to be a…"

"Work whore." Catherine filled in. After a moment of

silence, she suddenly turned to Warrick. "War, I'm sorry, but can we go back? I'm just not feeling up to it tonight."

Warrick nodded. They had only been driving for about five minutes anyway. After being dropped back off at the crime lab, she went back inside and made her way to Grissom's office.

Just as she had expected, the door was still shut and the lights were still on. Softly, Catherine knocked on the door and let herself in.

"Sara, I told you, I want to be left alone!" Grissom barked without looking up from his paperwork.

"It's not Sara," Catherine told him, shutting the door behind her. "It's me."

Hearing the sound of her voice, Grissom looked up. "Oh. Catherine. Sorry. I've actually got a lot to do tonight, so I can't really talk right now."

"Sure you can." Catherine insisted, making herself comfortable in the visitor's chair. "Tell me what's going on with you and Sara."

Although she'd rather die than currently admit it, there was a rush of adrenaline flowing through her, hoping that their relationship was coming to a quick end. When it did, the guilt would most likely flood her over for awhile, but she pushed the thought of it aside to focus on the present.

Grissom looked up and removed his glasses, setting them aside on his desk. "It's… complicated." He mumbled.

"I've heard that one before," Catherine smirked.

Grissom shrugged. "Yeah, well…"

Catherine took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to do. A little voice in her head was screaming, _don't do it, don't do it, don't…_

"Gil, do you want to go out and get some breakfast? We haven't done that in forever, and maybe we could talk about things. Like we used to."

"I don't know, Cath…"

"You're right. Sara would probably freak out. Well, I'll see you later, then."

Grissom watched silently as Catherine got up from the chair and headed toward the door. He rested his head in his hands as the door swung shut.


	6. Contemplation

Sara Sidle sighed. She was hungry, and their food was taking longer than usual to arrive. Greg's cell phone rang constantly in five-minute intervals, and Warrick and Nick were talking sports. She was beginning to think that she should have just gone home.

But Sara knew that had she decided to take the other road, she would be alone in her apartment most likely catching up on the latest, most outrageous reality TV shows and rotting her mind out until she fell asleep on the couch.

_What I should be doing, _Sara thought to herself, tearing up her straw wrapper and wadding them up into little balls, _is spending time with my boyfriend._

As of a few days ago, however, Grissom was beginning to shut her out. He didn't take her out anymore, and they rarely spent time together at each other's houses. Sara wondered what had changed.

She directed her gaze at Nick. "Nick, what's wrong with me?"

Nick looked at her. "Umm… Well, you don't look fat, if that's what you mean."

Sara rolled her eyes. "No, that's not what I mean."

"Tell us, then," Greg said, hanging up his phone.

Sara flicked the tiny wadded up balls across the table at Warrick. "I don't know," she mumbled. "I feel like I'm doing something wrong."

"With Grissom?" Nick asked.

"Yeah."

"Maybe he's just stressed," Warrick suggested. "Convince him to take a day off and the two of you can spend it together. Alone time is a key ingredient when it comes to forming and making relationships work."

"Oh really?" Nick smirked. "And you know this how?"

Warrick shrugged.

"Don't tell me," Greg exclaimed, "You're finally gonna put the moves on Catherine! God knows how long you've been flirting and crushing on her."

Warrick said nothing, but a grin lit up his face.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Anyway," he replied, turning back to Sara, "Warrick's got a good point. You should totally do it."

"Thanks, Nick. Warrick." Sara threw some money down on the table. "The food's not here yet, so I think I'm going bail."

Just then, the waitress arrived at the table with an armful of plates. Greg looked at Sara. "You sure?"

Sara nodded. "Yeah, I'm tired. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Sara waited a half an hour after getting home before she called Grissom. She was sitting on the edge of her bed and began to fidget with a shirt sitting beside her.

"Hello?"

"Grissom. Hi. It's me. Look, I wanted to know if sometime this week you wanted to take a day off with me and go do something?"

Her eyes traveled over to her bedside table where there was a framed picture of her and Grissom. It had been on the newspaper headline when the two of them had solved the highest profile case of the year, and it was the only picture of the two of them together.

"Well, Sara," Grissom's voice said snapping Sara back to the conversation. "I'm not sure."

"Oh… okay then."

"But we'll see," Grissom added quickly. "Get some rest, Sara. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I will. Thanks." As she hung up, she smiled. Grissom wasn't avoiding her or anything silly like that, he was just busy. Yeah. That was it.


	7. Changing Tides

"So, can I?"

"I don't know, Linds…"

"Mom, come on, please! It's a small party… only about ten or so kids."

"Will there be drugs?"

"No."

"Alcohol?"

"No."

"Boys?"

There was a dramatic sigh and an eye roll. Lindsey Willows put her hands on her hips. "I don't know, maybe a few?"

"Okay, and how about adult supervision?" Catherine asked.

"Well, Meredith's mom is going to be home until like, 8 o'clock, but then she's got a meeting or whatever to go to."

Catherine looked at her daughter, who was dressed in a tight mini skirt and a tank top. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and her face was freshly made up. Catherine didn't see how Lindsey expected her to agree to let her go to a party after getting a half an hour notice.

"Be home by eleven." Catherine finally said.

Lindsey looked at her Mom in disbelief. "Fine," she snapped, leaving the kitchen.

"You wanna make that nine-thirty?" Catherine called to her.

The front door opened then quickly slammed shut.

Not looking forward to a night home by herself, Catherine picked up the phone. She impatiently waited for the other line to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Gil. It's Catherine."

Half an hour later, Grissom's car was parked in Catherine's driveway. The two were seated on her living room couch watching Just Friends.

"So, have you seen this yet?" Grissom asked Catherine after they had popped in the DVD.

"No, Lindsey rented it from the movie store the other day." Catherine said, taking a handful of popcorn from the bowl positioned in between them. In her other hand she had a beer. Grissom had declined when offered one of his own.

He nodded.

"So, what's Sara up to?"

She received a shrug in response. They said nothing more.

A couple hours later, the movie came to the ending credits. Grissom noted that Catherine had fallen asleep, and her head was resting on his shoulder. He quietly reached over her to grab the remote and switched off the TV and DVD player. His eyes traveled to Catherine's face. She looked blissfully relaxed.

Grissom got up slowly and set Catherine's head down on a pillow. He grabbed a blanket hanging off the back of the couch and covered her. Eyeing the empty popcorn bowl and beer bottle, he picked them up and whisked them into the kitchen.

While rinsing out the beer bottle and putting it in the pile of recycling and putting the popcorn bowl in the dish washer, Grissom began to think about Sara.

He was having a hard time remembering why and how they had begun dating. He knew she wanted more from the relationship than he currently had to offer to her. His mind then strayed to his relationship with Catherine. Grissom had never felt so comfortable with someone like her before. She was his best friend, and she was always there for him.

Before he knew it, Grissom had put every dirty dish lying around the kitchen in the dish washer and got it running. When he turned around, Catherine was standing in the doorway with a sleepy smile on her face and the blanket wrapped around her waist.

"Hey," she said, looking around. "It's awful clean in here."

"Yeah, sorry… I kind of got carried away."

"Oh, no, by all means, don't apologize. I'll have to have you over more often. Lindsey was supposed to do the dishes but… You know how teenagers can be."

Right on cue, Lindsey walked through the front door. She started walking upstairs when Catherine stopped her.

"Lindsey, how was your party?"

"Fine," Lindsey replied flatly.

"Well, come back down here and say hi to Uncle Gil." Catherine told her.

They heard the stomps as Lindsey entered the kitchen. Grissom smiled when he saw her. She looked so much like her mom. "Hi, Lindsey."

"Hey."

"How are you? I haven't seen you in awhile."

"Yeah, I know. I'm good. Look, Mom, I'm totally exhausted. I'm going to bed."

Grissom and Catherine said their goodnights to her, and they were returned a muttered, "Yeah, you too." Catherine considered it an improvement from the usual silent replies.

They stood in the kitchen for a moment, neither speaking. Catherine shivered under the thin blanket.

"Cold?" Grissom asked, walking towards her. "Here, you've got to wrap it around you like this." Grissom took the blanket that hung loosely from her waist and gently draped it over her shoulders. "There."

Catherine smiled. "Thanks."

Grissom smiled back. He had missed this, spending time with his best friend and enjoying himself without having to try and please anyone.

Catherine did too, because the next thing she did was lean slowly towards him, resting her head on his chest. She inhaled deeply.

Grissom was momentarily stunned by her actions, but then wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "You _are_ freezing," he commented. "I should be getting home anyway. And you need to get to bed."

Catherine looked up at him. "What are you, my mother?"

He gently rubbed her back. "Somebody ought to be."

She laid her head back on his chest and sighed. "I don't need a mother figure, Gil," she said. "I just need someone to be there for me."

Quietly, Grissom's heart ached for her. He just didn't know yet that the dull pain was for her at the moment. "I'll be there for you," he whispered.

Grissom sat at home, alone, and already regretting having a day off. He gave a tired sigh when the phone rang. He already knew who it was.

"Hello, Sara."

"Hi, Grissom. I called you last night but you were gone, and you never called me back."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Grissom apologized, his eyes wandering around the living room of his townhouse. All he wanted to do at the moment was rest. And maybe later read. He hadn't had time for much of that, lately. "I was meaning to get back to you. I just haven't had the time."

"Well, you should relax," Sara told him. "I mean, two days off, you should definitely be kicking it back. Especially with the way you've been so busy. We've hardly had any time together these past couple of weeks."

"Sorry," Grissom said again.

"So, where were you last night, anyway? I tried calling you four times."

"I know, I got your messages." Grissom replied. "I was at Catherine's and I forgot to bring my cell phone."

There was a pause and Grissom could almost see Sara's eyebrow rise. "Catherine's?"

"Yes Sara, Catherine's. We watched a movie at her house. That's all."

"Oh, well, you don't need to explain. I trust you," Sara said in a most unconvincing tone.

"Obviously you don't," Grissom muttered bitterly. "Honestly, Sara, ever since we started dating you've been so clingy. I get at least three calls from you everyday, you want to spend time together, and I'm all for that, but you need to understand that I need my space."

"And Catherine gives you that space?"

"Sara."

"Grissom. You can't expect me not to get at least a little worried. She wears low-cut tops and tight pants around the lab, and she used to be a freaking stripper! No girl in her right mind would be comfortable with her boyfriend hanging out with a whore like that!"

Grissom's line went quiet, and Sara for a moment thought he hung up. But then, he spoke up. "I can't do this, Sara. I can't be in a relationship with you if you're going to talk like that about the person who's the most supportive person in my life, not to mention my best friend. I'm sorry. Good-bye."

Quickly, he hung up after saying good-bye. He didn't want to draw this out more than it had to be. Strangely, Grissom felt relieved. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he finally decided he could lie down and take a much needed nap.

The first thing that Sara felt after she heard the dial tone buzz in her ear was the breaking of her heart. She lay on her bed with the phone in her hand staring up at the ceiling, waiting for tears to come.

But they never came. Instead, waves of anger overcame her. Not towards Grissom, but towards Catherine. Her grip on the phone tightened. Suddenly, she sat up and glanced at the clock. It was 12:18pm.

With her mind consumed with frustration and rage, Sara bounced off her bed, grabbed her car keys, and left her apartment within thirty seconds.

A/N: Currently working on the next chapters. They're not even close to being done yet, but reviews might encourage and speed things up a bit. Hehe.


	8. Yin and Yang

**Yin and Yang**

After hanging up, Grissom wondered if he should be worried about Sara confronting Catherine. But even before their relationship, Sara had gotten control of her drinking and anger problems. But he knew it would help if he treaded lightly around her at the lab, and maybe call her later to let her know he hoped it wouldn't affect their friendship.

_Grissom, you ass,_ he scolded himself. _The last thing she'll want to do is be your friend. Then again, the gesture itself might make her feel a little better…_

Finally, Grissom decided on what to do. He grabbed his car keys and headed to Catherine's. She'd know what to do. Explaining to her the situation might be a little awkward, but it was better than traveling down this road blind. Even so, he was nervous. His heart pounded loudly in his ears the entire way there.

Catherine sat out on her front porch sipping a beer. Lindsey was inside on the phone, and Catherine decided that on a day as nice as this, she wouldn't waste it battling with her daughter on spending some quality time together. She usually lost, anyway.

As she sat there, she thought of Grissom, although her mind hadn't wandered from him the entire day. She knew she loved him, but he was with Sara, and far from her reach.

_I suppose that's what I get for not doing something about it sooner_she thought regretfully.

After her beer had been finished, she returned inside. Lindsey had finally gotten off the phone and was watching TV.

"Linds, it's nice outside. Go ride your bike or something." Catherine said.

Lindsey glanced at her mother. "Are you kidding me? I'm not ten anymore, Mom. Half my friends already have driving permits. I'm not signing myself up for humiliation, thanks."

Catherine sighed and went into the kitchen. Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Lindsey squeaked, leaping off the couch. "It's probably Madison. She said she might come by."

Catherine shrugged and opened the dishwasher. She was sure she had told Lindsey to empty it earlier, but there it was, full. She heard Lindsey answer the door and began putting away dishes.

"Hello?" She heard Lindsey say. She sounded disappointed. Obviously, it wasn't Madison at the door.

"Lindsey, I need to speak with your mother." It was Sara, her tone sounding flat.

"Yeah, she's in the kitchen. Mom, I'm going over to Madison's. I have my phone." Lindsey shouted. The door slammed shut.

Catherine turned to see Sara standing in the doorway. "Hey, Sara," she said. "Uh, what are you doing here?"

Slowly, Sara walked over to her. "You know damn well what I'm doing here, you whore!" She yelled. Catherine flinched. "How dare you ruin the one good thing in my life? Where do you get off sleeping with other people's boyfriends?"

Catherine saw out the front window that Lindsey had stopped halfway down the driveway, and was looking at her, concerned.

"Sara, what are you talking about? I haven't touched Gil."

"Like hell! I know he was at your house last night! At least he didn't bother lying! I got passed the whole ex-stripper thing with you, and I see I let my guard down too early! So now he's called it quits on me. For you. Happy now? Or is the rush gone because you don't have anything to take away from anyone anymore?"

"Sara, it's not like that-"

A hot white pain spread across Catherine's face as Sara's fist connected with her cheek. She fell to the floor. Outside, Lindsey witnessed the whole thing and quickly dialed the first number that popped into her mind.

Grissom had already been driving over the speed limit on his way to Catherine's, but when he received an unexpected call from Lindsey Willows, he was sure he was probably breaking some highway speed limits, too.

"Uncle Gil, you have to hurry," Lindsey's voice rang in his ears. "Sara Sidle came over and she got really mad at my Mom. She hit her. Uncle Gil, I think she's unconscious…"

As he drove, his grip on the steering wheel tightened. His knuckles were white. Guilt and worry flooded through his body. One question continuously circulated through his head: _What have I done?_

As soon as she had hit Catherine, Sara had fled from the house. She drove around mindlessly on the highway. She knew that she had gotten out of control, and if she could have turned back time, she never would have even gone to Catherine's house.

But there were people with more things than regret on their minds.

Lindsey Willows hid behind the bushes when Sara rushed out of the house. Once she was sure the car had driven down the block and was far away, she crawled out and ran back into the house. No sooner had she entered the house when she heard Grissom's car roll up the driveway.

She knelt beside her mother on the kitchen floor and waited for him to get there.

"Lindsey?" he called at the doorway.

"Uncle Gil, in here," Lindsey called back.

Grissom bolted into the room. His mouth practically hit the floor when he saw Catherine. He, too, crouched next to Catherine and lightly shook her. "Catherine, Catherine, wake up. Come on, Catherine."

She wasn't bleeding externally, and the only mark she had on her was a red cheek. Things weren't bad as he expected. But they weren't great, either.

Slowly, Catherine opened her eyes. She put her hands on his arms. "Gil… Gil… Gil, stop shaking me!"

Sheepishly, Grissom stopped. "Sorry," he said. He brushed the hair off her face. "Are you okay?"

Both he and Lindsey were looking at her nervously.

"Should I call 911 or something?" Lindsey asked, clutching her cell phone.

Grissom turned to Catherine. "Should we? You could have a concussion."

Lightly, she ran her fingers through her hair. "No, no I'm okay."

"I don't know what the hell Sara was thinking…"

"Don't worry about it. She just got out of control. She didn't understand. Gil, I'll be fine. Relax."

Catherine looked at Grissom's hands, which were grasping her shoulders tightly. She grinned. "Really worried about me, huh?"

"Of course," Grissom replied sincerely. "So was Linds. She was the one who called me."

Lindsey blushed, and Catherine kissed her on the cheek.

"Well, let's get off this floor, huh? I'll make some coffee or something. Linds, you can go to Madison's still if you'd like."

"No, I'll stay with you guys. I'll be in my room." Lindsey excused herself, dashing upstairs.

Grissom helped Catherine to her feet. "You should put some ice on that cheek. It'll make the swelling go down."

Catherine swatted his hand away. "So, uh, Gil. Since I got smacked around, I'd appreciate since I got smacked around if you'd tell me why your girlfriend thinks I slept with you."

"That night I was at your house, Sara called me. She got upset because I never called her back, and because I was with you. She thinks I was cheating on her with you."

"That's ridiculous."

"I know."

They stood silently in the kitchen for a moment. The refrigerator behind Catherine hummed.

"Hey, Cath?"

"Yeah?"

Grissom stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Catherine. He pressed her head gently on his chest and rubbed her back. "I'm so sorry about what happened today," he said. "I shouldn't have put you in that position."

"What position?" Catherine asked, looking up at him cheeky grin.

Very carefully, Grissom stroked her cheek with the back of his index finger. The skin was hot, and she flinched. It made his heart sank, and this time, he knew it was for her. "Is there anything I can do to make up for this?"

Catherine thought for a moment. She let her hand slide up his chest and trace around his mouth. Their eyes locked. As she cupped his cheek, their faces closed in on each other gently.

Lindsey watched quietly from the staircase, unable to control a large grin from spreading across her face.

Grissom insisted on staying with Catherine and Lindsey for the rest of the day. Catherine thought it was because he felt guilty, but that was only partially why.

Later on that afternoon, Lindsey decided to take a nap upstairs and Grissom and Catherine sat on the backyard porch with screwdrivers. They sat next to each other on green plastic lawn chairs and talked.

"So, is that rumor really true?" Catherine laughed.

"About Ecklie? God, I hope so. That guy definitely needs to get out more." Grissom chuckled.

"Wow. What I wouldn't give to see Ecklie in a gay bar hammered. He _does_ need to get out more."

Catherine's hand rested on the arm of her chair. She was surprised when she felt Grissom put his over hers. "I've missed this," he whispered quietly.

She grinned. "Me too." Catherine gave his hand a light squeeze.

At that moment she wanted nothing more than to leap off his chair and into his lap to kiss him as long and hard as she could. But she restrained herself.

"So, uh, Gil," Catherine said. "Don't you think we should go out and look for Sara eventually?"

"I don't know," Grissom replied. "I don't think I can be in a relationship with her anymore. But I do know we need to get thing straightened out."

"Well, for one thing, I don't want Lindsey to be constantly afraid that her mother is going to be attacked." Catherine pointed out. "You've seen her, she refuses to even leave the house. She's usually not like that."

"She's concerned for you. I am, too." Grissom admitted. "We just want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine." Catherine insisted.

Grissom's thumb caressed the top of her hand. "I want to be here for you. And Lindsey. What happened today isn't just going to go away. You can't pretend like it's just a bad dream."

Catherine turned and looked him directly in the eye. "Then stay here with us."

Grissom grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

A/N: I won't be able to update for about a week because I'm a band geek and we're going to DISNEY WORLD for a week. squee Anyway, hang in there, because I promise you that things are about to get much more interesting for Gil and Cath. Since things are just warming up, the next chapter will involve turning up the heat a little bit (rating will stay the same), and a pretty unexpected twist for our CSIs. Woot! Excited yet? Reviews appreciated!


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